The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-04-28

neceseaU Soe NJ 10 ny In rslasioa TO last sam
mere dooda Tint such IN engoeIs0ant az wafers
mu2 necessarily increase the height, efIscn and
magnitude OF frsshefA Cor ffsshsss are rivera
rolling over rivers. since the opening Of O.
nal into East lake and the liberation Of waters
formerly kept back In the dry season, and In
creaeing the capacity Of the canal out Of Toho-
pskAliga and liberating more Wasen from Il,
Also formerly kept back In the dry seasons and
the Strengthening Of natural Waterway not on
" dry season engagement IF the lower lakes
must ensue, bot since there h now effected in
to them q free escape to the rains Of an area OF
800 square miles not before existing, what an
excellent irrigation arrangement has the drain
age work eliminated in TO water the lower
sheds. This kind Of back handed looking en-.
gineerlng appears ct first sight . monstrosity,
~ 1t partially and temporarily destroys the
good effects produced on the country originally
observed by the first representatives, in ell parts
OF the drainage district, except about Topeka
lga and the upper shed, where 1t could not,
and there. and only there. did the Com mission
report favorably. The object of producing this
engagement by the companies engineers was
TWO fold, first TO make Q more perfect improve
ment Of the upper lands on account of their
valne. and TO keep the dredges afloat in the
channels between lakes. This swell Of waters
Will for q time increase, but as il is dependent
on the dead waters of the lake and not the live
waters OF the rivers which have their natural
exit, they, in time,i must diminish and the en-
gorgement will then subside, but before that
takes place it is presumable that the company
VIII nnsh their upper works and cut loose the
swollen waters
THE DRAINAGE AREA.
II there is aay territory in the State of Flor
IDA which il is reasonable 10 suppose was OBJ
tanned honestly under the Overlooked and
ri nf0 nhorC 9th 80 he
be this drainage district. And there is no ques
ii9n bat most OF it was more or less liable to
injurious overflow. while some, and probably
much, was not But In view of q future dis
agreement on this subject, L Coryell, Superin-
tendent the Drainage Company, wrote October
18th, 1881. to the Trustees of the Internal I'm
provement Fund, asking for some suggestion
whereby it could be settled then, finally and
forever, what were and were not reclaimable
lands.
In compliance with this important request the
Trustees appointed March 18th, 1882, the Hon.
Sihs l. Niback, 10 make personal examina-
tion OF the country, and that gentleman, in his
report Of June 9Th, 1882, recommended that in
view of the small amount Of lands within the
district not subject to overflow, the State be not
put to the expense of organizing, eQuipping and
supporting regular surveying party 10 60 over
the district and define the same The outlet
canal was opened int Okeechobee, December
Goth, 1888, also a canal was cut out Of Tohop-
ksiga and the natural waterways Strengthened.
When Mr. Dancy reported June Both, 1883, part
of the upper shed was in a state of reclamation,
which was afterwards confirmed on an examiRa-
tion made by Mr.. David L. Durham, who went
as far as the western side OF Lakes Marion and
Pierce, where he learned from The Indians the
lakes and surrounding rivers were never 30 low
~ then. On June 3d. 1884, was ordered to
examine the engineering operations ofthe Drain
age Company. with further instructions 10 as
certain what practical effect they had produced
ON The drainage district, and left under protest,
complaining that the country was blank, topo-
graphically and geOlogically ON the map Of
America, and had not field note on which
10 base a thought But I must admit my xs-
constituent on reaching the district at being
confronted Will the stubborn fact that Nature,
who never hurries, and which / knew from
early childhood is working a reclamation in
parts all over Florida, gave out the strange ap-
pesrance OF having made jump. In addition
To this perceived marked hydraulic equilib-
mum throughout the district, and yet it had been
raining neatly necessarily throughout the
months OF June, July and August. and probably
port Of .Augus. 18Th, 1850 E quote the
inllowing: "a sm constrained 10 say
from observation taken On the spot that . radi-
cal and recent ch4nge has taken place In this
portion of FinSida." And further on: - have
&
the subject which my observation enabled me to
obtain. can only report on the conditions a.
found them all of which tend to the fact that
the success OF the scheme is assured" Fortified
with this statement and belief, gave the opin-
ion that the country was permanently reclaim
ed, If ne canals psve kepf epsM And I don't
bulge an inch from that sta1efnent q thepses.s
emit time, for evident reasons, which I viii
deduce further on. But do say the region y
now undergoing temporary dra9taaksApeE
valuable purpose, which will relieve itseif*in
time, if rot BY the company. Not .seiisnsd,
however, the Trustees ordered Special Agent
Dancey, whose statements m relAtioW 4Rrthe
upper sheds had been confirmed b. III D6fe
ham, TO follow me, who was cenutmi11 10 1oas
firm, or pefjufe himself my F6pose, bsah in 1is
observation snd conclusions, for the country
was neither Submerged NOT Suffering Dom
drought Now, according 10 the drainage con-
tract, there were TO be only two Commissioners,
one TO Represent the Trustees and the other the
company, bat the Trustees imposed three, with
out protest from the company.
REWARD or $50
Now, will offer fly dollars reward to any
one who will get An AFFIDAVIT from the three
recent Commissioners that 90 much of the drain
age district rejected by them as unreclaimed by
that company 10 normally overlooked. The
truth Is they did not zee the district overlooked,
and did not - report il, but confined themselves
to their opinions 10 TO the apparent effects of the
canals, and, being deceived by the engagement
reported favorable on that portion only which
the engagement could by NO possible means
affect
A HYDRoDYNAMIC OPINION
Ny opinions are based, not on the statement
Of cattlemen and farmers, nor the primo facis
reports of agents and commissioners only. but
from study Of what few fragments OF the hydro
dynamic, topographic, geological and metereo-
logical status of the region that may be found
scattered through the reports OF the q. 8. Nil
practical local application 70 the case In hand,
in accordance with the practice Of other coun-